It's all in a name

Growing up in an Italian household, life was pretty much simple. You had an Zio(uncle) Tony, a Zia(Aunt) Maria and a cousin Joe. There was never confusion either, because they were all classified in a very simple way. It was Zio Tony of Zio Mimmo and Zio Tony of Zio Pasquale. Or it was, little Joe and big Joe. When there were 2 little Joes (which there always was), then it was little Joe of Zia Lina and little Joe of Zia Maria. That’s what Italians do, they keep things simple. When an Italian opens up an auto body shop (there are many Italian mechanics..lol), they don’t research a name or think long and hard about it. They want you to know that they are a body shop so they sit around for a whole 2 minutes, look at their wives and say, “what about the name, Tony’s Auto Body Shop”. The wife says, “What a great idea” and it’s done. Pizzeria’s..same thing. How many Tony, Joe’s or Pasquale Pizzeria’s have you seen?..Millions. That’s because they are to the point. My name is Tony and I own a Pizzeria. Italian’s stay very true to their names. They are passed on from generation to generation. When you have kids, it’s a given..you are naming your father in law and your mother in law. Then if you have any more you can finally choose your own name. Modern Italians are breaking away from this, they are actually thinking out of the box. Sometimes too out of the box. If your last name is DiPasquale and you name your son Sean, it sounds a little bit of an oxymoron. My name is Sean DiPasquale or Tammy Bartolameo..lol. Modern Italian women are sticking up for their “pushing” rights. Their theory, “if we push this baby out, then it’s my choice to name it”. Its bad enough most children take the husband’s last name, we even have to name their parents?? What is up with that? The women that do think out of the box and don’t name their father –in- laws are considered, scustumata (Italian for disgusting..lol). They are pretty much talked about for umm; let’s see...their entire life. They are used in “bad examples” of a what kind of a bad daughter in law you might end up with..lol. The name they do choose for their child is the ugliest name you can possibly use (according to the in-laws). The parents say things like “I can’t even say da name”..lol..yes your right, Allessio is really hard for an Italian to say..lol. Nowadays we actually buy name books and discuss the choices with our spouses, can you imagine that? My father’s famous line is “A name doesn’t make a person, the person makes the name.” I guess that makes sense when you think about it. It’s not your name that counts; it’s the kind of person you are. So when you see a Tony’s Auto Body Shop(and I am sure you will), you will know that his name is Tony and he fixes cars.
That’s my peace today!

Stuffed Rapini and Sausage Pizza
2 pizza doughs
1 bunch Rapini
1 clove garlic
1/4 c olive oil
2 italian sausages
1 c shredded mozzarella

Remove skin from sausage, cut up and cook in pan. Set aside. Boil rapini for about 10 minutes. Cool, drain water, cut up and saute with oil and crushed garlic. Put in bowl with sausages.
Lay 1 dough out flat on pan (oil and flour pan). Put rapini, sausage and mozzarella on dough. Take other dough roll out until it gets large enough to place on top of bottom dough. Lay over mixture and dough, close sides with fingers, poke a small hole in middle so air gets through. Spread thin layer of oil on top piece. Place in oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes. Make sure bottom and top are golden.